Chapter 384 - 175: Golden Core

Demon Suppression Array, Northern Array Hub.

Lu Chenxiao strode into the Array Hub’s stone chamber, his face grim.

He was covered in blood. The wound on his chest, torn open by a Fierce Beast, still throbbed with pain, but he paid it no mind.

Li Jianfeng and two other men followed close behind, all of them injured, their expressions grave.

In the center of the stone chamber, a three-foot-tall Jade Platform stood silently, its surface covered in densely packed Runes.

It was the Communication Array that connected to the outside world, and its Runes flickered with a faint blue light.

Lu Chenxiao didn’t hesitate, raising his hand and pressing it onto the Jade Platform.

Pill Qi surged in, and the Runes flared. A pillar of light shot upward, and a moment later, a light screen materialized, revealing Lie Mountain’s ethereal image.

He was seated in the main hall of the First Peak, his aura as steady as a mountain.

He glanced at Lu Chenxiao, then his gaze swept over the three men behind him as he spoke in a deep voice.

"Chenxiao, what happened?"

Lu Chenxiao dropped to one knee.

"Master, I am at fault."

Lie Mountain’s pupils contracted.

"Speak."

Lu Chenxiao gritted his teeth and recounted everything that had happened. Finally, he lowered his head, his voice hoarse as he said,

"I was incompetent! Please punish me, Master!"

Li Jianfeng and Yu Xiuqi knelt as well.

"We were also incompetent and failed to protect our junior brother!"

Lie Mountain glanced down at his waist, where several Life Tokens hung. One of them was carved with the name "Liang Cheng." Right now, that Life Token was still bright, emitting a gentle glow.

"He’s still alive."

"But Master," Lu Chenxiao looked up, his eyes shot with blood, "spatial turbulence is incredibly dangerous. Even if he is alive, it will be extremely difficult for him to find an exit."

"I led a search for three full hours. We scoured a thousand-li radius and found no trace. The rift that beast tore open at the end has completely closed. We can’t find it."

As he spoke, he clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Lie Mountain took a deep breath.

"Chenxiao, rise."

Lu Chenxiao remained kneeling, unmoving.

Lie Mountain’s voice deepened. "Rise. This matter is not your fault."

Only then did Lu Chenxiao get up, his fists still clenched.

"I want to continue the search..."

"There is no need."

Lie Mountain cut him off. "You are the Defender of the Northern Array Hub. If you abandon your post, it will cause instability in the Demon Suppression Array."

"If the Array Hub falls and the Fierce Beasts run rampant all because of you, far more than one disciple will die. Guard the Array Hub. I will handle the rest."

Lu Chenxiao opened his mouth to speak but ultimately lowered his head.

"Yes."

The light screen faded.

Silence fell over the stone chamber. Li Jianfeng stepped forward and whispered, "Eldest Brother, about Junior Brother..."

Lu Chenxiao raised a hand, silencing him. He turned his back to them and stared out at the gray, hazy sky beyond the chamber.

"I have faith in him."

"I saw that slash with my own eyes. Junior Brother combined three intents into one. Not even I could have blocked its power. He won’t die so easily in that turbulence."

...

「First Peak, Main Hall.」

Lie Mountain stood in the hall, his hands clasped behind his back and his brow tightly knit.

The candlelight in the hall flickered, casting dancing shadows.

’Spatial turbulence...’

He knew better than anyone what that meant.

’A Fierce Beast isn’t what’s frightening. What’s frightening is losing your way.’

’Countless fractured spaces are woven together, like a labyrinth with no end.’

’Even if Liang Cheng’s life isn’t in danger, what’s the difference between being trapped in some fractured space for ten or a hundred years and being dead?’

He subconsciously glanced at Liang Cheng’s Life Token again.

’Thankfully, it’s still bright.’

An impulse surged within Lie Mountain.

’He wanted to enter the Demon Suppression Array and search for him personally!’

But he quickly suppressed the thought.

’A Golden Core expert entering the array would inevitably cause ripples.’

’If he were to force his way in, the entire Demon Suppression Array would sense his aura, unsettling its very foundation and allowing the Fierce Beasts to break their seals. When that time comes, far more than a single disciple would die.’

’Unless... someone inside the Grand Array breaks through to the Golden Core Realm. In that case, the Grand Array wouldn’t reject them.’

A glint appeared in Lie Mountain’s eyes.

The Defenders of the Demon Suppression Array’s hubs were all the most elite Core Formation Disciples of this generation, chosen from every sect and school. They guarded the eight directions, using their own auras to suppress the Fierce Beasts.

The strongest among them was Jun Linyuan of the Cyan Cloud Sect, stationed in the Central Demon-Suppressing Pagoda. He was the foremost prodigy among the disciples of this generation and had already broken through to the Golden Core Realm within the Demon Suppression Array, becoming the Grand Array’s true lynchpin.

If he were not there to hold the line, how could the Three Sects and Six Gates ever feel at ease letting their own prodigies enter the array for tempering?

And Jun Linyuan could not leave the array unless another disciple broke through to the Golden Core Realm to take his place.

Of course, this was also why the Three Sects and Six Gates skewed their resource allocation heavily in favor of the Cyan Cloud Sect. It was the rule, and it was the price they paid.

Without hesitating, Lie Mountain turned and walked toward another Communication Array.

...

「An incense stick later.」

A reply came from the Cyan Cloud Sect.

"We will help with the search when the time is right."

Lie Mountain looked at the short line of text and gave a slight nod.

He had met this Jun Linyuan once before.

The man was a youth, arrogant to his very core. His eyes held only a craving for higher Realms and disdain for all worldly affairs.

’It’s just...’

’The phrase "when the time is right" was far too vague.’

Lie Mountain looked up at the sky outside the hall. The night was deep and dotted with a smattering of brilliant stars.

’Liang Cheng, oh, Liang Cheng... you have to hold on.’

...

News of Liang Cheng’s disappearance soon reached the Seventh Peak.

Yao Guannan sat alone in his study, a Jade Slip held between his fingers.

Only a single lamp was lit in the study, its dim light leaving his face half in shadow.

He finished reading the Jade Slip, and a slow, cruel smile spread across his lips.

"A Human-faced Spider? Spatial turbulence?"

He chuckled, the sound echoing in the empty study.

"Excellent. Truly excellent."

’I thought I’d have to wait until the end of the trials and go to great lengths to deal with that brat. I never imagined he’d go and get himself killed.’

Yao Guannan set down the Jade Slip, a cold glint flickering in his eyes.

From the moment Gu Tianya’s Life Token had shattered before his eyes, he had marked Liang Cheng as the one responsible.